RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative
Quarter for
Maine

The Commemorative Quarter for Maine





Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in South Portland, we use the following websites to find information relevant to South Portland and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • Astronomy & Satellites ...
    • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
    • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for South Portland:
    • 43.634354, -70.252220
    • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
    • The Heavens-Above Website, centered on South Portland
  • Waymarking ...
    • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
    • Waymark.com

Communities Also Named South Portland ...

We found one communities that share the name South Portland.

Within Maine, the name South Portland is unique.

Beyond Maine, there is another community also named South Portland in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Oregon
      • Multnomah County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Oregon community of South Portland [Multnomah County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near South Portland ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

  • Cash Corner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cash Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash Corner
    • Cash Corner is located in Cumberland County
  • Crocketts Corner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crocketts Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crocketts Corner
    • Crocketts Corner is located in Cumberland County
  • Elizabeth Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth Park
    • Elizabeth Park is located in Cumberland County
  • Ferry Village
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Village
    • Ferry Village is located in Cumberland County
  • Great Diamond Island Landing
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Great Diamond Island Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Diamond Island Landing
    • Great Diamond Island Landing is located in Cumberland County
  • Jones Wharf
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Wharf
    • Jones Wharf is located in Cumberland County
  • Knightville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knightville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knightville
    • Knightville is located in Cumberland County
  • Libbytown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Libbytown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libbytown
    • Libbytown is located in Cumberland County
  • Little Diamond Island Landing
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Lone Creek Village ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Creek Village
      • Lone Creek Village is located in Cumberland County
    • Meeting House Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeting House Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeting House Hill
      • Meeting House Hill is located in Cumberland County
    • Mountainview Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountainview Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainview Park
      • Mountainview Park is located in Cumberland County
    • Peaks Island
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Pond Cove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pond Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Cove
      • Pond Cove is located in Cumberland County
    • Sunset Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Park
      • Sunset Park is located in Cumberland County

How Far From South Portland to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as South Portland to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<4> beginning in South Portland and extending to:

  • Portland, which is the Seat of Cumberland County, lies just to the North.
  • Augusta, which is the State Capital of Maine, lies 52 miles [83.7 km]<4> to the north northeast (NNE). If you could walk a straight line from South Portland to Augusta, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of three days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take over two days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 480 miles [772.5 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of a day, a buggy would take 19 days and walking would take 28 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,421 miles [8,724.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,132 miles [9,868.5 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,008 miles [6,450.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<9>

The official website for South Portland: www.southportland.org/

The official website for Cumberland County: www.cumberlandcounty.org/

The official website for State of Maine: https://www.maine.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about South Portland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- South Portland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in South Portland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.6344, Longitude: -70.2522    
<5>While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day.
<6>The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from South Portland to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 303.284 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.011 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 299.528 degrees.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025